What happened
On 11 April 1998, a Piper PA-34-200T, registration G-CHEM, was performing a positioning flight from London Gatwick to Stapleford Tawney Aerodrome in Essex. The flight was operated by two crew members, including a pilot who had recently completed a line check on the aircraft type.
During the approach to the grass runway 04L, the crew confirmed that the landing gear was in the down position and had received three green light indications. The runway surface was noted to be wet and muddy, with a downward slope of approximately 2%. As the aircraft approached the runway, the crew experienced unexpected sink. This resulted in a landing that occurred slightly earlier than intended and in a flatter attitude than usual. Upon touchdown, the nose landing gear retracted, causing the aircraft to pitch forward. The propellers struck the ground, and the aircraft slid along the runway before coming to a halt. There were no injuries to the crew.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the sudden failure of the nose landing gear downlock mechanism. Investigators reviewed the aircraft's maintenance history and performed an engineering inspection of the gear assembly. This inspection failed to identify any mechanical abnormalities or defects that would explain why the gear retracted during the landing sequence.
Meteorological data was also examined. While the pilot reported a surface wind of 360° at 20 kt, official meteorological records indicated winds from 360° at 15 kt, with gusts reaching between 25 and 30 kt.